Aerator for minnow bucket



7, 1956 A. R. OSBORN ETAL 2,7519% AERATOR FOR MINNOW BUCKET Filed Aug. 5, 1953 OLIVER A. LJNDSE Y INVENTORS ATTORNEY ADWIN R. OSBORN United States Patent AERATOR ,FOR MINNOW BUCKET Adwin R. Osborn and Oliver A. Lindsey, Fort Worth, Tex.

Application August 3, 1953, Serial No. 371,855

1 Claim. (Cl. 261-121) This invention relates to aerated minnow buckets of the type in which a vacuum is applied for drawing air into water containers for keeping minnows alive when transporting the same. Particularly, the invention has reference to a device for the described purpose wherein the vacuum line is connected, directly, or indirectly, with the intake manifold of a vehicle engine.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a self contained unit for aerating water in minnow buckets, the same being constructed so that it will fit various sizes of buckets without requiring a seal therebe tween.

Another object of the invention is to provide a minnow bucket attachment which may be made at relatively low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a minnow bucket aerator attachmentwhich does not extend very far into the bucket, thus avoiding objectionable obstructions.

These and other objects of the invention Will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional minnow bucket and including the present attachment positioned therein, together with means connecting the latter with a vacuum line of a vehicle.

Figure 2 is a broken plan view of the aerator attachment illustrated in Figure 1.

In the drawings, the numeral designates a conventional minnow bucket having the usual cover, not shown,

removed. If desired, the cover may be merely opened and the present attachment positioned in the opening 11 of the bucket 10. The outer housing 12 of the present attachment is cylindrical and has an open lower end 13 which extends into and beneath the water level of the bucket 10. The closed top 14 of the outer housing is provided with a central open tube 15 which extends downwardly to a level less than the lower end of the housing 12. As will become apparent, the exact lengths of the tube 15 and housing 12 are not critical, but the last described relative lengths are to be preferred. The housing 12 is supported on the top surface of the minnow bucket 10 and around the opening 11 thereof by means of a flange 16. It will be noted that a seal is not required, and in place of the flange projecting ears or the like may be used instead. A valve 17 is connected with the upper end or top 14 of the housing 12 and is, in turn, connected with a vacuum line 18, such as a windshield Wiper hose, by means of a connecting hose 19 and T-fitting 20.

Although the lower ends of the housing 12 and tube 15 may extend downwardly into the bucket 10 to near the bottom thereof, it has been found that these ends may extend only to just beneath the water level. Thus, less power is required for the operation and the flow of air downwardly through the tube 15 and upwardly in the annulus 21 formed by the inner tube and housing 12, the last referred to action circulates the water, and thus sufiiciently disperses the aerated water as shown by means of arrows in Figure 1. It will be noted that the air bubbles flow downwardly from the bottom of the tube 15 and upwardly in the annulus 21 for providing sufiicient aeration, which in turn, is circulated in the manner described.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction wherein shown and described, but may be made in many ways Within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An aerator attachment for a minnow bucket having an opening in the upper end thereof, said aerator comprising ahousing having a closed upper end and an open lower end, the largest transverse dimension of said housing being less than the smallest transverse dimension of said opening in said minnow bucket, an open tube extending through and supported by the closed upper end of said housing, said tube extending downwardly in the latter to a location substantially near the lower end of said housing, means applying a vacuum to the space formed by said tube and said housing, and a flange around said housing loosely supporting the latter in said minnow bucket opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,106 Crisfield Apr. 2, 1918 1,618,602 Meyers et al. Feb. 22, 1927 1,995,215 Mehlsen et al. Mar. 19, 1935 2,007,326 Carpenter July 9, 1935 2,303,757 Pierson Dec. 1, 1942 2,364,686 1 Balisteri et a1. Dec. 12, 1944 2,512,936 Harrison June 27, 1950 2,601,738 Cufi? July 1, 1952 

